Roller paint applicator



Dec. 15, 1964 H. G. NELKIN ROLLER PAINT APPLICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 7, 1965 WRM ATTORNEY Dec. 15, 1964 HQ G. NELKIN 3,160,909

ROLLER PAINT APPLICATOR Filed May '7, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. HENRY 6'. NELKIN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,160,909 ROLLER PAINT APPHCATUR Henry G. Neiidn, Kansas City, Mo assignor to H.G. Enterprises, a co-partnership Filed May 7, 1%3, Ser. No. 278,575 4 Claims. (Cl. -522) My invention relates to paint applicators, and more particularly to roller paint applicators.

My roller paint applicator is of the general type having a paint container or reservoir on which an applicator roller is mounted so as to project therefrom and in which a supply roller is mounted in such a manner that the supply roller and the applicator roller are adapted to be engaged in such a manner as to have rolling contact with each other whereby the paint in the supply container is transferred by means of the supply roller to the applicator roller for application to the surface that is to be painted. More specifically my invention relates to such a paint applicator in which the applicator roller is mounted in a position so that it extends upwardly above the top edge of the container and forwardly of the front wall of the container for rotation about a fixed axis, and in which the supply roller is mounted for swinging movement from a position near but spaced from the bottom of the paint supply container to a position in engagement With the applicator roller.

It is an important purpose of my invention to provide a paint applicator of the above mentioned character that is simple in construction so that it can be cheaply manufactured and which is of such a character that drip from the applicator roller is avoided. This is accomplished by providing a lip on the front Wall of the container that underlies the applicator roller and extends forwardly beyond a point vertically below the axis about which the applicator roller rotates, so that any drip from the applicator roller will be deposited on said lip and run back into the supply container.

In order to provide an apparatus that is simple in construction and can be cheaply manufactured, the swinging mounting for the supply roller comprises a wire carrier that has a pair of arms that terminate in pivot members for the supply roller, and which are provided with hook portions that engage the top rear edge of the supply container for swingingly suspending the same in the container, thus avoiding the use of any hinge members or pivot ears on the container body, which would add to the cost of production.

The container is provided with a suitable handle for engagement of the hand therewith for holding the container in proper position for engagement of the applicator roller with the surface to which the coating or paint is to be applied, which handle member is provided with a mounting that includes a wide fiat flange integral with the rear wall of the container and extending backwardly therefrom so as to provide a thumb rest for the hand of the operator, which is so located with respect to an operating lever or extension on the mounting for the supply roller that the. same can be operated by means of the thumb so as to be pressed down into a position closely adjacent said thumb rest and substantially parallel thereto or rise upwardly therefrom so as to either move the supply roller into engagement with the applicator roller or away therefrom.

In order to avoid any unsupported edge portions of the felt or other absorbent covering provided onthe applicator roller and to assure the uniform application of paint or other coating material to the applicator roller by the supply roller, the body portions of the supply and applicator rollers are made of the same axial extent or length, and the absorbent covering material on the appli- "Ice cator roller is made so as to be somewhat shorter than the length of the body of the roller so'that as it spreads due to pressure applied thereto, it will, upon such spreading, not extend beyond the ends of the body portion of the roller.

Inasmuch as the mounting of the supply roller is such that the same has arms that extend between the ends of the supply roller and the side walls of the coating supply container, the portions of the side walls of the container serving as mounting portions for the applicator roller are inwardly offset to thus provide for substantial alignment of the ends of the applicator and supply rollers.

In order that the supply roller, in its movement back and forth between a position near the bottom of the coating supply container and in contact with the applicator roller, will move with its axis in parallelism to the axis of the applicator roller, the hook portions that engage the top edge of the rear wall of the container to swingingly mount the supply roller on the container are provided at the junctions of the arms of the mounting member that support the opposite ends of the supply roller with the portion thereof that connects the operating lever with said arms so as to place said hooks at a maximum distance from each other.

More specifically my invention comprises an applicator of the above mentioned character that is provided with a container that has parallel forward and rear walls both inclining forwardly toward their top edges, the forward wall being of less height than the rear wall and side walls whereby the forward corners of the side walls, which have edges inclined similarly to the forward and rear walls are located forwardly of the top of the front wall and I 'mount the applicator roller in the side walls so as to rotate about an axis of rotation that intersects the side walls adjacent the upper forward corners thereof in a position that said axis is substantially vertically above the top portion of the forward wall. This will locate the applicator roller so that the periphery of the roller extends forwardly beyond the top of the forward wall and upwardly above the tops of the side walls.

My invention further comprises means for catching any drip that may come from the applicator roller comprising a lip that extends forwardly from the top of the forward wall the full length thereof whereby said lip is located entirely below the bottommost portion of the applicator roller and extends forwardly from the lowest point on said roller vertically below the axis of rotation thereof.

It is another important purpose of my invention to provide means for mounting the supply roller so that it is suspended from the top edge of the rear wall of the container in a position adjacent the bottom of the container and'in spaced relation to said bottom, comprising a wire carrier for the supply roller that has a pair of'parallel arms lying adjacent the side walls of the container and between the ends of the supply roller and said side walls, which is provided with right angular endportions that serve as trunnions for the supply roller and which has a connecting portion extending transversely of the container adjacent the top of the rear wall thereof and which is provided with hooks formed therefrom that are located at the junction of said arms and said transverse portion and which engage with the top edge of said rear wall of the container to swingingly mount and suspend said supply roller, said wire carrier being provided with an integral rearward U-shaped extension that is provided midway of said transverse portion and which is adapted to serve as an operating handle, the container being provided with a fiat rearwardly directed flange adjacent which said operating handle will be positioned when the supply roller is in engagement with the applicator roller so that the thumb of the operator can rest on said operating handle and on the flange to hold the supply roller in engagement with the applicator roller. Said flange is preferably a portion of the handle mounting for the container.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the description of the drawings proceeds. I desire to have it understood, however, that I do not intend to limit myself to the particular details shown or described, except as defined in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my improved paint applicator.

FIG. 2 is a section thereof taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a similar section, showing the supply roller in engagement with the applicator roller.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view taken substantially from the line 55 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view partly broken away, taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5. I

Referring in detail to the drawings, my improved paint applicator comprises a container for the coating material having a bottom wall 10, a pair of side walls 11, a rear wall 12 and a forward wall 13. It will be noted that the side walls 11 and the rear walls 12 are of the same height and that the rear wall 12 is connected with the bottom wall by means of a curved wall portion 14 and that the forward wall 13 is similarly connected with the bottom wall 10 by a curved wall portion 15. It will also be noted that the walls 12 and 13 incline forwardly and that the Wall 13 is considerably shorter than the wall 12 and the walls 11 and has a forwardly extending lip 16 thereon. The rear wall 12 is provided with a large triangular flat' flange 9 extending rearwardly therefrom and a bracket 17 is provided, which is attached by welding, brazing or in any other suitable manner, to the bottom wall 10 and at its forward upturned end 18 to the forward wall 13 of the container. A cylindrical handle 19 is mounted by means of suitable screw-threaded headed fastening elements 20, or in any other suitable manner, on the flange 9 and the bracket 17, being secured thereto by said headed fastening elements so as to extend substantially parallel to the rear wall 12 with the upper end thereof including forwardly, as will be obvious from FIGS. 2 and 3. It will accordingly be obvious that an operator can grip the cylindrical handle19 with the fingers of the hand and rest the thumb on the flange 9.

The side walls 11 are provided with inwardly offset portions 21 providing a mounting for the axle 22 that is provided with heads 23 engaging the outer faces of the offsets 21. Mounted on the axle is an applicator roller having end walls 24 that have bearing openings for the axle 22, said roller having a cylindrical surface 25 and being made of suitable metal, or other suitable rigid material.' The mounting of the roller is such that the inwardly offset side walls 21 will be spaced sufliciently from the end walls 24 of the roller to permit the free rotation of said roller on the axle 22, but will avoid any appreciable axial movement of the roller on the axle.

Mounted on the applicator roller is a cover ply 26 of suitable compressible absorbent material, such as felt, or other similar soft material, that will absorb the paint or other coating material as it is transferred thereto and will transfer such coating material to the surface that is to be painted or otherwise coated. Since the cover ply 26 is of a character that it will tend to compress and spread endwise of the roller, said cover ply is made of such a size that the ends 27 thereof are spaced inwardly slightly from the ends of the roller on which said cover ply is mounted, as will be obvious from FIGS. 1 and 6.

It will be noted that the location of the openings for the axle 22 in the offset portions 21 of the side Walls 11 is such that the applicator roller will be located with its axis closed to the forward rounded corner 28 of said side walls 11, and due to the inclination of the forward wall 13 and the continued oblique extent of the front edge 29 of the side wall 11 upwardly above the lip 16 on the front wall'13, said axis will be located in such aposition that the applicator roller will extend a considerable distance forwardly of the topmost portion of front wall 13 at its forward side and considerably above the tops of the walls 11 on its upper side, thus placing the roller in such a position that it can be readily used to apply paint or other coating material to a ceiling or wall, as may be desired, with the supply container held in position that the bottom 14) thereof is substantially horizontal, or, should it be found to be more convenient for the user to tilt the container slightly backwardly to raise the forward end thereof in applying paint or other coating material to a ceiling, such a position of the container can also be assumed and the applicator roller will be in position for transferring the coating material to the ceiling surface.

It will also be noted that the lowest point on the periphcry of the applicator roller, which would be normally perpendicularly below the axle 22, is adjacent and immediately above the inner edge of the lip 16 where the same joins with the inclined wall 13 by means of a sharply curved portion 30, and that accordingly any excessive coating material that would be on the applicator roller and drip on the same would engage the lip 16 near its junction with wall 13 and run down the wall 13 and be returned to the main supply Within the container. The lip 16 extends the full width of wall 13 from the one side wall 11 to the other side wall 11, as will be obvious from FIG. 6.

A supply roller is mounted within the coating container and has a cylindrical peripheral wall 31 and end walls 32 that are provided with bearing openings for inwardly right angularly directed pivot members 33 provided on the depending arms 34 of a wire mounting member for said supply roller, said arms 34 extending between the sidewalls 11 and the ends of the supply roller. Said mounting member is provided with an operating lever having a pair of side members 35 and a curved connecting portion 36 to form an open elongated loop that overlies in flange 9. Connecting transverse portions 37 extend between the lever made up of the portions 35 and 36 and the arms 34 and have hook portions 38 formed thereon at the junctions of the arms 34 with said connecting portions 37, said hook portions having a pair of arms 39 that extend parallel to each other and which are connected by means of a curved portion 40 so that said hooks are of a U-shaped character, the parallel portions 39 being bent into a suitable curve to form the hook portions 38, which engage around the top edge 41 of the rear wall 12, as will be obvious from FIG; 4. The top edge 41 of the wall 12 constitutes two portions that lie on opposite sides of the side margins 42 of the flange 9, and

' it will be obvious that the hooks thus formed are limited in their movement lengthwise of the top edge of the wall, being limited in such movement by the side walls 11 and the edges 42 of the flange 9 where these meet the top edge 41 of the wall 12. It will also be noted that the transverse portions 37 lie adjacent and parallel to the top of, rear Wall 12 and that the one arm 39 of each hook is an extension of an arm 34.

It will accordingly be seen that by means of the hooks 38 the supply roller is mounted for swinging movement about an axis which coincides with the top edge portions .41 of the rear Wall 12 and that said roller can be moved from the position shown in FIG. 2 thereof to the position shown in FIG. 3 by engagement of the thumb with the lever having the straight portions 35 and the curved connecting portion 36 while the fingers are in engagement with the'handle 19 pressing the lever toward the flange 9 and, into close adjacency thereto to hold the surface of the cylindrical portion 31 of the supply roller in engagement with the absorbent material 26 on the applicator roller. Accordingly, if the applicator roller is ro- Q tated by rolling engagement with a suitable surface the supply roller will be rotated by frictional engagement of the applicator roller therewith and will transfer the paint or other coating material contained in the body of the supply container to the-covering ply 26 of absorbent material on the applicator roller and from said applicator roller to the surface to be coated or painted.

It will be noted that the end walls 24 and 32 of the rollers are inset from the end edges of the cylindrical wall portions 25 and 31 of said rollers. It will also be noted that due to the location of the hooks 33 at the junction of the arms 34 and transverse portions 37 and the provision of the inwardly offset wall portions 21 the ends of the applicator and supply rollers will be held in substantial alignment with each other during the operation of the applicator. It will also be noted that the straight portions 35 of the lever at the ends thereof that join with the connecting portions 37 are curved slightly as shown at 43 in FIGS. 2 and 3 so that these portions are adapted to bear on the corners 44 where the flange 42 joins the rear wall 12, thus serving as additional hearing or fulcrum means for the swinging mounting of the supply roller.

It will be noted that inasmuch as the major portion of the side walls 11 are braced by the walls 12 and 13 to assure the rigidity of said side walls, the forwardly projecting portions thereof that are above the upper end of the forward Wall 13 and which include the offset portions 21, are not stiffened by the forward end wall 13. In order to hold said olfset portions 21 in properly spaced position to support the applicator roller for free rotation on the axle 22, stiffening means for said forwardly projecting portions of the walls 11 is provided, said stiffening means being in the form of a pair of corrugations 45 that are struck out of the side walls providing stiffening ribs that extend from the main body portions of the side walls 11 into and substantially completely across the offset portions 21.

What I claim is:

1. An applicator for fluid coatings comprising an open topped coating supply container having parallel forward and rear walls both inclining forwardly toward their top edges, side walls connecting said forward and rear walls and a bottom wall, said forward wall being of less height than said rear wall and said side walls, said side walls having forward edges that incline forwardly from adjacent the bottom thereof to the top thereof to project the upper forward corners of said side walls forwardly of the top of said front wall, an applicator roller mounted in said side walls for rotation about an axis parallel to said forward Wall and intersecting said side Walls adjacent the upper forward corners thereof in a position above the top of said forward wall substantially in vertical alignment with the top thereof to locate said roller so that the periphery of said roller extends forwardly beyond said top of said forward wall and upwardly above the tops of said side walls, said roller having a cylindrical body portion and an absorbent cover ply having end edges spaced inwardly from the ends of said body portion, a lip at the top of said forward wall extending forwardly from said wall for the full length thereof under the forwardly projecting portion of said applicator roller in adjacency there to, said lip being located entirely below the bottomrnost portion of said roller, a supply roller having a continuous cylindrical applicator roller engaging surface extending endwise beyond the end edges of said cover ply and hook means engaging the top edge of said rear wall for swingingly mounting said supply roller on said rear wall for movement between a position in which said roller is suspended from said top edge of said rear wall adjacent the bottom of said container in spaced relation to said bottom and a position with said cylindrical surface thereof in engagement with said applicator roller.

2. An applicator for fluid coatings comprising an open topped coating supply container having parallel forward and rear walls both inclining forwardly toward their top edges, side walls connecting said forward and rear Walls and a bottom wall, said forward wall being of less height than said rear wall and said side walls, said side walls having forward edges that incline forwardly from adjacent the bottom thereof to the top thereof to project the upper forward corners of said sidewalls forwardly of the top edge of said front wall, said upper forward portions of said side walls being inwardly ofiset toward each other, an applicator roller mounted in said inwardly offset portions of said side walls for rotation about an axis parallel to said forward wall and intersecting said side walls adjacent the upper forward corners thereof in a position above the top of said forward wall substantially in vertical alignment with the top thereof to locate said roller so that the periphery of said roller extends forwardly beyond said top of said forward wall and upwardly above the tops of said side walls, said roller having a cylindrical body portion and an absorbent cover ply, a supply roller having a continuous cylindrical applicator roller enga ing surface, and means for sus endin said supply roller for rotation about its axis from the top edge of said rear wall for swinging movement about said top edge between a position in which it is suspended below the top edge of said side wall adjacent the bottom of said container in spaced relation to said bottom and a position with said cylindrical surface thereof in engagement with said applicator roller, comprising a wire carrier for said supply roller having a pair of parallel arms lying adjacent the side walls of said container and between the ends of said supply roller and said side walls and having right angular inwardly directed end portions providing pivot members for mounting said supply roller for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said applicator roller, transverse portions extending substantially parallel to the top edge of said rear wall in forwardly spaced relation thereto, U-shaped hook portions connecting said arms and transverse portions and engaging said top edge of said rear Wall adjacent said side walls and an operating lever cormecting said transverse portions and having a curved portion engaging said top edge of said rear wall, said operating lever having a U-shaped handle portion lying in a plane and projecting rearwardly from 7 said top edge of said rear wall.

3. An applicator for fluid coatings comprising an open.

topped coating supply container having parallel forward and rear walls both inclining forwardly toward their top edges, side walls connecting said forward and rear walls and a bottom wall, said forward wall being of less height than said rear wall and said side walls, said side walls having forward edges that incline forwardly from adjacent the bottom thereof to the top thereof to project the upper forward corners of said side walls forwardly of the top of said front wall, said upper forward portions of said side walls being inwardly offset toward each other, an applicator roller mounted in said inwardly offset portions of said side walls for rotation about an aXis parallel to said forward wall and intersecting said side walls adjacent the upper forward corners thereof in a position above the top of said forward Wall substantially in vertical alignment with the top thereof to locate said roller so that the periphery of said roller extends forwardly beyond said top edge of said forward wall and upwardly above the tops of said side Walls, said roller having a cylindrical body portion and an absorbent cover ply, a supply roller having a continuous cylindrical applicator roller engaging surface, means for suspending said supply roller for rotation about its aXis from the top edge of said rear wall for swinging movement about said top edge between a position in which it is suspended below the top edge of said rear wall adjacent the bottom of said container in spaced relation to said bottom and a position with said cylindrical surface thereof in engagement with said applicator roller, comprising a wire carrier for said supply roller having a pair of parallel arms lying adjacent the side walls of said container and between the ends of said supply roller and said side wall andhaving right angular inwardly directed end portions providing pivot members for mounting said supply roller for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said applicator roller, transverse portions extending substantially parallel to the top edge of said rear wall in forwardly spaced relation thereto, U-shaped hook portions connecting said arms and transverse portions and engaging said top edge of said rear wall adjacent said side walls and an operating lever connecting said transverse portions and having a curved portion engaging said top. edge of said rear wall,

said operating lever having a U-shaped operating portion lying in a plane and projecting rearwardly from the top edge of said rear wall, a handle for said container and means for securing the handle on said container including a fiat top flange extending rearwardly from the top of said rear wall and underlying said operating lever, the plane in which the U-shaped operating portion of said operating member lies extending at such an angle to said arm that said U-shaped portion will be positioned in close adjacency and substantially parallel to the top face of said flange when said supply roller is in engagement with said applicator roller.

4. An applicator for fluid coatings comprising an open topped coating supply container having parallel forward and rear walls both inclining forwardly toward their top edges, side walls connecting said forward and rear Walls and a bottom wall, said forward wall being of less height than said rear wall and said side walls, said side walls having forward edges that incline forwardly from adjacent the bottom thereof to the top thereof to project the upper forward corners of said side walls forwardly of the top of said front wall, said upper forward portions of said side walls-being inwardly offset towardeach other, said side walls having stifiening corrugations extending from the upper main body portions thereof into said upper forward portions thereof, an applicator roller mounted in said inwardly offset portions of said side walls for rotation about an axis parallel to said forward Wall and intersecting said side walls adiacent the upper forward corners thereof in a position above the top of said forward wall substantially in vertical alignment with the, top thereof to locate said roller so that the pe riphery of said roller extends forwardly beyond said top edge of said forward wall and upwardly above the tops of said side walls, said roller having a cylindrical body portion and an absorbent cover ply, a supply roller having a continuous cylindrical applicator roller engaging surface, and means for suspending said supply roller for rotation about its axis from the top edge of said rear wall for swinging movement about said top edge between a position in which it is suspended below the top edge of said rear wall adjacent the bottom of said container in spaced relation to said bottom and a position with said cylindrical surface thereof in engagement with said applicator roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

1. AN APPLICATOR FOR FLUID COATINGS COMPRISING AN OPEN TOPPED COATING SUPPLY CONTAINER HAVING PARALLEL FORWARD AND REAR WALLS BOTH INCLINING FORWARDLY TOWARD THEIR TOP EDGES, SIDE WALLS CONNECTING SAID FORWARD AND REAR WALLS AND A BOTTOM WALL, SAID FORWARD WALL BEING OF LESS HEIGHT THAN SAID REAR WALL AND SAID WALLS, SAID SIDE WALLS HAVING FORWARD EDGES THAT INCLINE FORWARDLY FROM ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF TO THE TOP THEREOF TO PROJECT THE UPPER FORWARD CORNERS OF SAID SIDE WALLS FORWARDLY OF THE TOP OF SAID FRONT WALL, AN APPLICATOR ROLLER MOUNTED IN SAID SIDE WALLS FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AX IS PARALLEL TO SAID FORWARD WALL AND INTERSECTING SAID SIDE WALLS ADJACENT THE UPPER FORWARD CORNERS THEREOF IN A POSITION ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID FORWARD WALL SUBSTANTIALLY IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE TOP THEREOF TO LOCATE SAID ROLLER SO THAT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ROLLER EXTENDS FORWARDLY BEYOND SAID TOP OF SAID FORWARD WALL AND UPWARDLY ABOVE THE TOPS OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID ROLLER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION AND AN OBSORBENT COVER PLY HAVING END EDGES SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID BODY PORTION, A LIP AT THE TOP OF SAID FORWARD WALL EXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM SAID WALL FOR THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF UNDER THE FORWARDLY PROJECTING PORTION OF SAID APPLICATOR ROLLER IN ADJACENCY THERETO, SAID LIP BEING LOCATED ENTIRELY BELOW THE BOTTOMMOST PORTION OF SAID ROLLER, A SUPPLY ROLLER HAVING A CONTINUOUS CYLINDRICAL APPLICATOR ROLLER ENGAGING SURFACE EXTENDING ENDWISE BEYOND THE END EDGES OF SAID COVER PLY AND HOOK MEANS ENGAGING THE TOP EDGE OF SAID REAR WALL FOR SWINGINGLY MOUNTING SAID SUPPLY ROLLER ON SAID REAR WALL FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A POSITION IN WHICH SAID ROLLER IS SUSPENDED FROM SAID TOP EDGE OF SAID REAR WALL ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONTAINER IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID BOTTOM AND A POSITION WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE THEREOF IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APPLICATOR ROLLER. 